An Age of Miracles: The Revival of Rhomanion
- Thread starter Basileus444
- Start date
- Status
I read the thread daily. I just don't feel the need to comment very often, as this manifestly isn't my general area of knowledge (Byzantine history that is) and I don't want to detract from the author's writing with picayune matters.
I know we're focused on Alexeia and Co. Right now, but I would be delighted to see a PoV from the Western and Eastern Kommenoi. It would be great to see their beliefs, personality and generally a bit of fleshing out.
Speaking about the Eastern variety.... bad moment to be Osman Komnenos, I'd guess his reaction will depend on how Bayezid goes after him. In this case Osman is a figure quite similar in the eyes of the new sultan as Doukas is the empress' eyes... someone you too much powerful they can't trust.
But if Bayezid wants to attack the romans he will stay his hands, unless he is an utter fool.
p.s. for Western Komnenoi you mean the "Arletian" branches?
Yeah, I mean the Arletians+David. I mean, the Eastern Kommenoi are all with the Ottomans,anyway, so Western Kommenoi gves it a bit of symnetry, plus it sounds cooler than the Arletian Kommenoi.
Anyway, how's Hungary been doing since Round One? Could we see another incursion into Serbia? With Vlachia gutted,the only thing to deal with is Manfred, so......
In the update about Andreas Niketas' death it was said that is comeback from the dead at the same time succeeded and failed:
succeeded in stopping Leo and the Hungarians (and it was written something along the line of "preventing them from interfering in the following rounds"), while failing to stop the real players behind the troubles (like Nikephoros).
So if B444 hasn't changed his mind, I'm not counting the Hungarians for this round. They may attack Vlachia once the romans are engaged against Milan-Baghdad. Manfred may intervene (if I was Vlach and I couldn't rely on the romans I wouldn't have many choices against Hungary, even in good times romans view Hungary as another useful cushion, that's not exactly as the Vlachs view it).
The Sandman
Banned
I would imagine that there would be at least some muttering about the sudden reversal of attitudes towards Muslims, given that a) Andreas Niketas had a Muslim saving him on the Black Day at the cost of his own life as his own formative experience with Muslims and b) the Muslims don't appear to be ghettoized in most of the Empire. That second point is, I think, a big one; people who might agree with the blanket statement "oh yeah, those Muslims are scum" are going to have second thoughts when they see Ahmed (the grocer whose stall they always visit when they're at the market) or Fatima (whose kids have been playing with theirs since forever) become victims of Alexeia's new policies. And it's likely to make any Jews, Catholics, Nestorians or what have you who can think in the long term start getting very paranoid about who's next on the chopping block after the Muslims are gone.
What happened to that one guy's family, anyway? I have to imagine that Andreas kept at least a bit of an eye out for them over the years, what with them being one of the only vaguely bright spots on the worst day of his life and all.
What happened to that one guy's family, anyway? I have to imagine that Andreas kept at least a bit of an eye out for them over the years, what with them being one of the only vaguely bright spots on the worst day of his life and all.
Andreas took care of his family, paying also for university studies of the daughter (the only one mentioned if I'm right).
And now we have the second mention of eastern fortresses being neglected and Bayezid is now Sultan... Third round in 3, 2, 1...
Besides whatever token forces they have on the western borders, the vast bulk of Ottoman army just had a few brutal rounds of combat with some Indian powers and is now busy occupying all of Persia, Pakistan, and freaking Afghanistan. B444 also indicated that there was also a (rather convenient) civil war brewing, and only Sultan Suleiman was preventing it from happening.
Theodoros is the Orthodox St. Thomas Aquinas for sure in regards to animals.
Theodoros' sons and their lines do have the potential to get involved in the ToT, but they're nowhere near as powerful or capable as the Herakleian and Nikephorean lines were. But their names would give any revolt against Constantinople an instant air of legitimacy. Theodoros had to 'drop' them to maintain his cover, which seemed fairly reasonable (from a mission POV) since there were a lot of other Kristinan descendants around. But not even Theodoros could predict the wave of disease and freak accidents that have thinned those ranks.
As mentioned, Andronikos was a musician brought in by Theodoros.
Theodoros went from being the fool to just playing the fool sometime between his shotgun wedding to Irene and her death. I wanted another player for the second round, and the way Irene was shaping up she'd either win or get taken out before that point.
No Theodoros...Probably an even nastier Orthodox War. His intrigues helped make the Syrian tagmata go neutral. Or a more damaging dynatoi plot, since Nikephoros was focusing too much on his relatives until the failed attempt on his life.
We'll be seeing more of the Eastern Komnenoi in the next update. David I'm saving for a special occasion.
Hungary is busy rearming and repopulating. Any revanchist tendencies will be directed towards Vlach Transylvania.
There has been muttering against the Nullification Acts, but so far nothing of importance.
Andreas paid for Nazim's family's upkeep, with the daughter becoming a prominent dentist. Every post-Black Day male member of that family and about half the females (women in university can only go into medicine) during Andreas' reign got an university education, probably making them the most educated family in the Empire.
Theodoros' sons and their lines do have the potential to get involved in the ToT, but they're nowhere near as powerful or capable as the Herakleian and Nikephorean lines were. But their names would give any revolt against Constantinople an instant air of legitimacy. Theodoros had to 'drop' them to maintain his cover, which seemed fairly reasonable (from a mission POV) since there were a lot of other Kristinan descendants around. But not even Theodoros could predict the wave of disease and freak accidents that have thinned those ranks.
As mentioned, Andronikos was a musician brought in by Theodoros.
Theodoros went from being the fool to just playing the fool sometime between his shotgun wedding to Irene and her death. I wanted another player for the second round, and the way Irene was shaping up she'd either win or get taken out before that point.
No Theodoros...Probably an even nastier Orthodox War. His intrigues helped make the Syrian tagmata go neutral. Or a more damaging dynatoi plot, since Nikephoros was focusing too much on his relatives until the failed attempt on his life.
We'll be seeing more of the Eastern Komnenoi in the next update. David I'm saving for a special occasion.
Hungary is busy rearming and repopulating. Any revanchist tendencies will be directed towards Vlach Transylvania.
There has been muttering against the Nullification Acts, but so far nothing of importance.
Andreas paid for Nazim's family's upkeep, with the daughter becoming a prominent dentist. Every post-Black Day male member of that family and about half the females (women in university can only go into medicine) during Andreas' reign got an university education, probably making them the most educated family in the Empire.
I didn't really mean no Theodoros, what I meant to say was "what would have happened had not Kristina made his son play the fool?". If the guy had truly shown his colours, Andreas would have made him the kaisar instead of Herakleios, true Theodoros wouldn't have managed to detect Nikephoros, but an healthy and intelligent son would have been harder to unseat (aside from not having the first round itself).
The most educated family in the Empire. Well. The Nullification laws are certainly going to go over well with them.
No doubt there's going to be hell to pay with Hungary, but they still got chewed up pretty bad at the Iron Gates. How far along are they at rebuilding their military? I mean, even if they do go on the warpath hopefully Vlachia can hold them off for a bit while the Time of Troubles wraps up. I mean, they did it once, they might be able to pull it off again.
Can't wait to see more of David. And is Theodoros going to drop his support for Alexeia? I can see a point where maybe he'd conclude that she's become too damaging for the Empire and quietly arrange for a Laskarid or Doukid (or maybe even one of his children or another Andreas descendent) to take over, but she is a descendent of Kristina...
No doubt there's going to be hell to pay with Hungary, but they still got chewed up pretty bad at the Iron Gates. How far along are they at rebuilding their military? I mean, even if they do go on the warpath hopefully Vlachia can hold them off for a bit while the Time of Troubles wraps up. I mean, they did it once, they might be able to pull it off again.
Can't wait to see more of David. And is Theodoros going to drop his support for Alexeia? I can see a point where maybe he'd conclude that she's become too damaging for the Empire and quietly arrange for a Laskarid or Doukid (or maybe even one of his children or another Andreas descendent) to take over, but she is a descendent of Kristina...
Razgriz 2K9
Banned
If that isn't enough of a reason to learn German, I don't know what will.
In all seriousness though, I assume the marriage between Empress Alexias and Andronikos of Chalkis is a Morganatic Matrilineal marriage, cause it might seem awkward if it were otherwise.
It took me weeks to read through this TL, but here I am now and I have to say I just love this TL!
Keep it up, B444!
Keep it up, B444!
They have a navy, its just a skeleton force. This reminds me, what about the Venetian arsenal? That seems like it would be able to produce the ships required to atleast patrol the region defined.
Is it bad I find it amusing some people are speculating about an alternate history to an alternate history?
Hungary is pretty well on its way to rearming. It's been almost twenty years since the Iron Gates. And Vlachia did bleed heavily in the Orthodox War.
I have to thank people for reminding me about Nazim's family. To be honest, I'd forgotten about them. But I think I've thought of a way to use them in the future.
Alexeia is of the line of Kristina, and one of the few people Theodoros likes as a person. He won't remove her, but at this point he's pretty much out of the game. He's in Aleppo, almost seventy years old, and has internal bleeding.
OOC: That's why I chose to reveal him now. I thought it was fun to have 'something' flitting about in the shadows, such as not identifying Irene's murderer. But now that I've identified the 'something', it's not as enjoyable.
The marriage is matrilineal morganatic, but any children produced will be able to inherit Alexeia's titles and possessions.
Thanks for the compliments.
I wouldn't say the Imperial Navy is a skeleton force, but seriously anorexic. It can hold down the Black Sea directly, the Marmara is guarded by some of the biggest cannons invented by mankind, whilst the Aegean can be defended by home-field advantage with serious harassment of enemy forces combined with a fleet-in-being strategy. But the wider Mediterranean, forget about it.
The Venetian arsenal has never been run anywhere close to capacity in the last sixty years. The original work force was destroyed when Venice became Venetia, and the skilled workers have generally gravitated to the Imperial Arsenal, as have the work orders. The fleet is based in Constantinople, so it makes sense to have the ships built there also, and it's also closer to the raw materials needed to make vessels so it's cheaper.
Hungary is pretty well on its way to rearming. It's been almost twenty years since the Iron Gates. And Vlachia did bleed heavily in the Orthodox War.
I have to thank people for reminding me about Nazim's family. To be honest, I'd forgotten about them.
But I think I've thought of a way to use them in the future.Alexeia is of the line of Kristina, and one of the few people Theodoros likes as a person. He won't remove her, but at this point he's pretty much out of the game. He's in Aleppo, almost seventy years old, and has internal bleeding.
OOC: That's why I chose to reveal him now. I thought it was fun to have 'something' flitting about in the shadows, such as not identifying Irene's murderer. But now that I've identified the 'something', it's not as enjoyable.
The marriage is matrilineal morganatic, but any children produced will be able to inherit Alexeia's titles and possessions.
Thanks for the compliments.
I wouldn't say the Imperial Navy is a skeleton force, but seriously anorexic. It can hold down the Black Sea directly, the Marmara is guarded by some of the biggest cannons invented by mankind, whilst the Aegean can be defended by home-field advantage with serious harassment of enemy forces combined with a fleet-in-being strategy. But the wider Mediterranean, forget about it.
The Venetian arsenal has never been run anywhere close to capacity in the last sixty years. The original work force was destroyed when Venice became Venetia, and the skilled workers have generally gravitated to the Imperial Arsenal, as have the work orders. The fleet is based in Constantinople, so it makes sense to have the ships built there also, and it's also closer to the raw materials needed to make vessels so it's cheaper.
- Status